JASPERS (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions) completed 127 assignments in beneficiary countries in 2016, continuing to represent a key part of the EIB’s advisory services. The projects supported by JASPERS since 2006 and approved by the European Commission for funding have mobilised total investment exceeding EUR 80bn, of which some EUR 12bn for 61 projects was approved in 2016. Other projects worth of billions of euros are in the pipeline.

In Slovakia, JASPERS has completed 72 actions and 34 are ongoing. All actions support projects which are crucial for the country, especially in the transport sector. The European Commission has approved 39 of these projects, which have mobilised total investment of EUR 5.7bn, of which EUR 3.1bn in EU grants.

“Last year JASPERS delivered a wider range of outputs in more countries than ever before”, stressed EIB Vice-President Vazil Hudák at a press conference held on the occasion of the JASPERS Stakeholder Meeting in Bratislava on 19 June 2017 and noted, “JASPERS, which helps to spend EU grant allocations better, plays an important role in creating the conditions for sustainable and socially-cohesive growth and produces real gains for Europe’s citizens, who will benefit from the investments it helps to advance. The proximity of JASPERS to beneficiaries, its expertise and support for all stages of the project cycle, and its capacity to anticipate and adapt to emerging needs on the ground, make it a reliable long-term partner for EU Member States. With its presence in Slovakia JASPERS is a very efficient tool for the EU bank to support strategic projects designed to reduce disparities in regional development, strengthen economic competitiveness and improve people’s living standards,” concluded Mr Hudák.

Peter Pellegrini, Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and Informatization, welcomed the initiative: “I am sincerely glad that after Rome it is Bratislava, where the ninth Annual JASPERS Stakeholder Meeting is held and that the Slovak Republic has used and is continuing to benefit from JASPERS expertise in the implementation of transport and environmental projects."

JASPERS is a partnership between the European Commission and the European Investment Bank. It offers EU Member States and Candidate Countries a wide range of services, including advisory, capacity building and project appraisal activities, with the aim of ensuring the soundness and high quality of the projects which are eligible for grant funding. JASPERS also supports the project appraisal process of the European Commission.

JASPERS is active in 19 beneficiary EU Member States (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom) and in four countries receiving assistance from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey). JASPERS advisory support may be extended to other EU Member States and IPA countries who request it, depending on the availability of additional resources and with the agreement of JASPERS’ Steering Committee.

JASPERS is focused on:

Assisting EU Member States and IPA countries in preparing high quality projects for the 2014-2020 programming period and finalising the development of the last projects funded from the 2007-2013 programming period;

Rolling out the Independent Quality Review of major projects for Member States before submission to the European Commission for grant funding;

Providing appraisals to the European Commission for projects submitted directly by Member States, which are an important part of its internal approval process;

JASPERS’ role in providing technical assistance and capacity building has been crucial to enabling Member States to enjoy the full benefits of EU cohesion policy at many different levels. This is achieved, for example, through support to policy makers in the development of national strategies, help with preparing projects in emerging sectors, knowledge transfer throughout the project cycle and support for implementation.

JASPERS operates under three separate mandates: from DG Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) for investment funded under the Structural and Cohesion Funds; from DG Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) for investment funded under the IPA Funds; and from DG Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) for transport projects benefiting from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

More details of JASPERS activities and value added provided to beneficiaries are available from the JASPERS website (http://jaspers.eib.org).